The speakers at the community meeting were split on Monday night: Half said the San Francisco Police Department should shut down the “hill bomb” before it starts, ensuring there is no vandalism or property damage from skaters who will, in all likelihood, flock to Dolores Park this Saturday for the annual, unsanctioned downhill event.
The other half wanted the opposite. They lambasted the police for its response last year, in which 113 young people were arrested en masse, prompting a brewing civil-rights lawsuit against the police department, and said the city should take a different tack: Distribute helmets, provide medics, shut down streets, and generally try to facilitate a safe event.
All agreed on one thing, however: With five days left, officials simply waited too long to prepare, and it is likely too late in the game to guarantee a safe event.
“It occurs like a butterfly migration; so consistent, you could almost prepare for it, you could go outside and watch it like the sun goes up and sun goes down,” said Aaron Breetwor, a downhill skater who works at Comet Skateboards, speaking to Police Chief Bill Scott at a 5 p.m. community meeting.
Dozens of neighbors, skaters and other community members attended the gathering, voicing their concerns and questions to police brass about the upcoming day.
Breetwor, like others, said outreach should have happened months ago, and that he had spent the past year at some two dozen city meetings, encouraging officials to plan for the upcoming hill bomb.
Officials said they were waiting for a skateboarding leader to officially pull a permit, and no one stepped up. Breetwor said he does not have the means to pull a permit and plan the event, but larger skateboard companies do, and none came forward.
A neighbor who lives at 20th and Dolores streets echoed Breetwor’s sentiment, saying “the word that comes to mind is ‘accountability’” — and that it was missing from all sides.
“It’s so difficult to come home, suddenly see the only way to get into our home blocked off by a crowd, and having traffic control performed by high schoolers. I mean, where is the accountability in that?” the neighbor asked. “Find a sponsor, get this permitted … and, if nobody is willing to, I think that says a lot about this event.”
The meeting was billed as a listening session by Scott, who sat onstage alongside Assistant Chief David Lazar, Mission Station Captain Thomas Harvey and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the area. A dozen officers lined the wall near the entrance, and attendees filled out maybe a third of the black fold-out chairs set up in the church’s auditorium.
“What we encourage is, if you have ideas about how we can move forward, that’s really what we’re interested in,” said Scott while opening the meeting. More than two dozen speakers took the mic over the 90-minute meeting.
“We ask the city right now to please help us stop the violent acts: No more assaults or projectiles, broken bottles or fireworks,” said Carolyn Kenady, the chair of the Dolores Heights Improvement Club.
Kenady, like many other neighbors on Monday, said she did not blame skateboarders, but rather “bad actors” who engage in vandalism and violence, and she hoped last year’s arrests would not be repeated. “Prevent arrests, especially of bystanders and minors, and prevent this illegal event.”
One speaker asked why the police were hosting the gathering instead of the parks department or Municipal Transportation Authority, which could facilitate an city-sanctioned event. Others questioned the feasibility of a such an event, given the costs for insurance, medics and more.
At one point, a speaker said it would cost $3,000 for 100 helmets to distribute to skaters that day as a last-ditch attempt at safety. An audience member shouted from the back: “If you need $3,000, I can donate to make that happen,” offering to pay in full.
It was the first instance of the city proactively conducting public outreach on the annual event, and came days before it was scheduled: The hill bomb was advertised for this Saturday, July 6, in a post that garnered thousands of shares. But the skater who put the event online has since changed his mind.
“Event CANCELED!!!” the new post read. “Police will be waiting at Dolores!!! Keep my name out of it!!! Stay away!!!”
Still, that will not guarantee compliance. The hill bomb is a loosely organized gathering — teens name a date and spread the word online — and it’s likely that some number will arrive on Saturday, regardless.
To that, the police department gave the same answer it did last week: Do not come, because officers will make arrests if there is any trouble.
“It is our intention, from the police department perspective, to not allow illegal activity to occur,” said Scott, adding that property damage, vandalism or violence would not be tolerated. “I would highly encourage whoever can be a liaison to people that plan to show up … to encourage them not to do that.”
“I think it’s entirely possible the police will get called in, I think it’s entirely possible they will have to make arrests, and if you’re a parent, I would encourage you to talk to your kids about not coming,” added Mandelman, saying that his “biggest regret” last year was “that there was not more communication to parents or kids” about the planned shutdown and possible arrests.
Neither police brass nor Mandelman want a repeat of last year, and both said clearly and repeatedly that the city would welcome a sanctioned Dolores Park hill bomb if a responsible player from the skating community steps up.
But none has done so. In the absence of a dedicated leader, the city has resorted to the police, neighbors worry there will be chaos on the streets, and skaters have been left fearing another crackdown.
“This is a missed opportunity,” said Naomi Lopez, the mother of one of the plaintiffs in the civil suit against the police department, who lives on Dolores Street. She said the city should have worked harder “to turn an event that has become ugly … into a community event that can show teenagers, especially Black or brown ones who are not represented in this room, that they belong.”
“It can be done, it can be done,” she continued, to loud applause.
“This is not put on by adults, it’s a bunch of school kids that want to skate, and it happens every year,” added KC, a 12-year-old, who said she had been skating since she was six. “They’re saying that no one is trying to do anything? But here we are, a week before the event, and we could’ve been talking about this months ago.”
“All agreed on one thing, however: With five days left, officials simply waited too long to prepare, and it is likely too late in the game to guarantee a safe event”
Let’s be real here. There is no way to make this a safe event. Period. Full stop. Bombing down a hill at high speed is inherently dangerous and this event has always been associated with injuries, death, and vandalism.
“Officials said they were waiting for a skateboarding leader to officially pull a permit, and no one stepped up.” I’m shocked. Shocked! Of course no one will step up to lead an event that always results in injuries and vandalism and sometimes death. It’s uninsurable and lawsuits are basically guaranteed.
Greg on 26,
Were you there ?
I was.
3 dozen ‘enhanced’ cops lined the walls and halls and doors and patrolled the Perimeter on Dirt Bikes.
All for maybe a half dozen skinny Skateboarders and damn near 200 neighborhood residents like myself and Trevor Chandler who preferred anonymity for some reason.
Average age of audience was North of 60 I’m uh guessin’ and Miyamoto’s deputies could have done the event with a crew of 6 easily.
That’s a great example of the problem we have here with the cops in the Mission.
They keep sending up Irish Captains who are literally frightened of the brown Latino population and forever harass them and hide from them.
This new one who did the Wild West Roundup of Young Latinos is no better than the last one who kept those metal barriers all around the station and when I asked him to move them and put in a Porta Potty rig his reaction was to request that instead they should build an outer wall all around the station.
He was invited to speak at Manny’s which is a single block away and canceled at last minute cause he said he couldn’t guarantee his own security ?
This time Chief Scott says he is in charge (he wasn’t even involved in the Planning last year) and he’s Doubling Down on busting the skaters and seemed to be getting physically excited about the prospect as his voice raised and the Tactical Unit lining the wall nodded.
Bring your cameras and start ID’ing the cops as they arrive at Mission District in the morning with me.
They want our ID’s ?
We want theirs too.
Go Niners !!
h.
Greg on 26,
Your name sounds like a high school football play.
So, it came out at the meeting that there was at least one attempt to apply for Permits and money to properly run this event.
It came thru Livable Cities who presented it to the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development who forwarded it to the District’s Supervisor, Rafael (Death of Fun) Mandelman who let the whole thing die at his desk.
This is the Mayor looking for a fight and using Proxies, Jeff Tomlin and Bill Scott who both answer directly to her and she appoints every single member of the SFMTA (hi Manny) that appoints Jeff and she’s eviscerated the Police Commission so she can no longer blame them if the cops go crazy this Saturday.
It is all on Breed and don’t you forget it when she says it is not.
A great move on London’s part would be to take up the Killer Traffic Dots that she put there while they’re illegal in the Rest of California …
Take them up on Overtime on the 4th of July tomorrow and on Friday the 5th.
Either way, all of the Curse or Credit for the Coming Event traces back to Mayor London Breed and remember that next time those dots cause a death.
Go ‘9ers !!
h.
She said the city should have worked harder “to turn an event that has become ugly … into a community event that can show teenagers, especially Black or brown ones who are not represented in this room, that they belong.
Simply wow. Who’s stopping black and brown kids or their parents from attending the meeting? Since when was the hill bomb a POC event? What a joke? Take some responsibility raising your kids.
Brandon,
If you’d been corralled by the same cops scheduled at the meeting would you attend ?
They had many witnesses there, me for one.
Did you skip your Teen Years ?
I taught and coached and drove adolescents, including at Potrero Hill Middle School here and they tend to act out to show off for the girls.
That never happened to you ?
Breed should take up the Killer Traffic Dots and put bales of hay at every intersection along the route as a massive show of Peace and Love.
And, leave your ‘Slit skirts’ (Riot Gear) at the Station cause as every Madonna song teaches us …
You get what you dress for.
Go ‘9ers !!
h.
Let them crack their heads open. Who cares. You play you pay
To the funder of helmets at yesterday’s meeting has yet to reach out so please contact me if you can fund them! Thanks!
To the SF Karen’s, everything is a nail to the SFPD hammer.
Why do the denizens of the city expect accountability from a police department or local government when they aren’t held accountable? The police only do anything when it’s easy, like intimadating children. Vote every single politician out – the buck stops there.
Jack,
Start with voting out London Breed.
However, if she takes out those Illegal Killer Traffic Dots before the Event and puts bales of hay at every intersection (cops have plenty of hay) and Tomlin’s crews can have those Dots gone if they work all day Friday.
An aside ?
The ‘Bomb’ hill is on my daily walk and for last couple of days Park and Rec has been trimming the tops of the Palm Trees along the route.
Better view for Rich people further up the Hill ?
Seriously, why trim these trees now ?
h.
Drone surveillance limely